Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

My gauge pod volt meter has always shown 14 volts when driving around. Last few days it showed 12. This morning I needed to boost it to get going. Drove 110 highway kms to Nanaimo. Shut it off. It started again a couple hours later. Drove back. Still showed 12 volts. Bought a new battery. The old one is from 1999 so that must be the problem I thought.

New battery appears to be discharging. Not running it shows 12.19 volts. Running it shows 12.09 volts.

Checked fusible link at the positive battery terminal and it looked good. Check the connections at the alternator and they look good. Wiring is old obviously. Battery connections are tight and clean.

Does this mean the alternator is pooched? I tend to think so since the battery appears to be discharging while driving around but I can't explain why it worked upon restarting in Nanaimo.

Any ideas? If it is the alternator, is there a NA model with the same one for when I go to Lordco?

Thanks in advance!

Go into any shop and have them put a load tester on the battery and test the alternator. Takes a few mins.

Alternator is generic and can be replaced with different local one's. Just take it out and match it up.

Do those alternators also have a vacuum pump attached like the L300 model?

jelbon wrote:Do those alternators also have a vacuum pump attached like the L300 model?

negatory

There is no vacuumn pump attached. Just a two-prong connector and a heavy gauge wire. Disconnect the wire and connector, then two bolts, take off the two belts and it's ready to wiggle out. I removed the air box and the rubber hose from the airbox to the turbo to make room. It took me 30 minutes.

Then it was off to Brian Roberts Auto Electric on Princess St. to get it bench tested. Others on this site have recommended them. It took one second to determine that it's fried. When the diodes go it allows the alternator to drain the battery and that's what happened.

Thanks for the tip Jesse

jfarsang wrote:Go into any shop and have them put a load tester on the battery and test the alternator. Takes a few mins.

Alternator is generic and can be replaced with different local one's. Just take it out and match it up.

Are you saying that the whole alternator is replaceable with a local (N.American) alternator? Or are you saying that they can be rebuilt?

I'd like to know because mine got fried once and I think it's on it's way out again.